Plastic anchor for drywall, plaster, brick and concrete

ABSTRACT

An anchoring device for insertion in a hole provided in a structure such as a wall (hollow or solid) comprises proximal and distal sections. The proximal section includes a head defining an aperture for receiving a fastener, and the distal section includes a pair of expandable wings displaceable between collapsed and expanded positions. Each wing is biased towards its expanded position such that the wings can engage the structural material delimiting the hole or a distal surface of the structure. The distal section comprises, proximally of the wings, a variable-length flexible portion for allowing the wings to engage the distal surface of the structure for various structure thicknesses. The distal section comprises, distally of the wings, a tip section adapted to spread outwardly when engaged by the fastener. The proximal section comprises a pair of legs each having a toothed rack for engaging the structural material.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Non-provisional applicationSer. No. 11/385,975, filed on Mar. 21, 2006, which claims priority toU.S. Provisional Application No. 60/759,045, filed on Jan. 17, 2006,both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to wall anchors and, more particularly, toanchors suitable for both hollow and solid walls.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various wall anchors exist for hollow walls, including self-installableanchors and expandable anchors. Some of these anchors define outerthreads adapted to engage the friable material that constitutes part ofthe wall structure, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,415 issued on Nov.10, 1998 to McSherry. Other such anchors include a toggle member that isadapted to pivot between a longitudinal insertion position and atransversal retention position, wherein the toggle member adopts itstransversal position once behind the wall, so as to then be drawntowards the wall until it engages a rear hidden surface of the hollowwall, thereby firmly securing the anchor to the hollow wall, such as inU.S. Pat. No. 6,250,865 issued on Jun. 26, 2001 to McSherry.

Anchoring devices encounter various wall mediums, such as hollow wallsand solid walls, and in the case of the former, the thickness of thehollow wall may vary. Anchoring devices thus need to have constructionssuitable for such mediums.

The present invention seeks to meet these needs and other needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

More specifically, it is therefore an aim of the present invention toprovide a novel anchoring device.

It is also an aim of the present invention to provide an anchoringdevice adapted for various wall constructions, including hollow walls ofvarious wall thicknesses.

It is a further aim of the present invention to provide an anchoringdevice adapted for various wall constructions, such as hollow walls andsolid walls.

It is still a further aim of the present invention to provide ananchoring device, typically made of plastic, adapted for retention invarious materials, such as drywall, plaster, brick, concrete, etc.

More specifically, in accordance with the present invention, there isprovided an anchoring device for insertion in a hole provided in astructure, comprising proximal and distal sections, said proximalsection comprising a head defining an aperture for receiving a fastener,said distal section comprising at least one expandable wing displaceablebetween inwardly collapsed and outwardly expanded positions, said wingbeing biased towards said expanded position such that said wing isadapted to at least one of engaging structural material delimiting thehole and engaging a distal surface of the structure.

Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided ananchoring device for insertion in a hole provided in a structure,comprising proximal and distal sections, said proximal sectioncomprising a head defining an aperture for receiving a fastener, saidproximal section comprising at least one leg, said distal sectioncomprising a spreading member, said distal and proximal sections beingdisplaceable towards one another such that said spreading member causessaid leg to displace outwardly into engagement with the structuralmaterial delimiting the hole.

Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention willbecome more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictivedescription of specific embodiments thereof, given by way of exampleonly with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the appended drawings:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a first anchoring device inaccordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are respectively front and side elevational views of thefirst anchoring device of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the first anchoring device of FIGS. 1 and2;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second anchoring device in accordancewith the present invention;

FIGS. 7 a to 7 h are schematic successive partly cross-sectional sideviews showing the installation of the second anchoring device of FIG. 6into a wall, wherein in FIG. 7 f the anchoring device is shown rotated90.degree. with respect to its position in the other views; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a third anchoring device in accordancewith the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is illustrated in further details by the followingnon-limiting examples.

In accordance with the present invention, FIGS. 1 and 2 show ananchoring device, generally denoted hereinafter by the reference D.

The anchoring device D includes a proximal head section 10, anintermediate stem section 12, and a distal tip section 14. Typically,the anchoring device D is made of a plastic material, and is suitablefor various hollow and solid walls, including wall of variousthicknesses.

The head section 10 comprises a flanged proximal end 16 adapted to abuta visible side of the wall (or other structure into which the anchoringdevice D is intended to be installed), and defines two opposed legs 18extending symmetrically and distally from the flanged end 16. Each leg18 includes a rack 19 that defines a set of angled teeth 20 that arealigned parallelly to a longitudinal axis of the anchoring device D.Each rack 19 is pivotally mounted at a lower end thereof to theremainder of the leg 18 with an inverted “U”-shaped gap 21 (see FIG. 4)being defined around the rack 19 such that the leg 19 can pivot, at itslower end, relative to the remainder of the leg 18.

The head section 10 also defines a central axial aperture 22 adapted toreceive therethrough a fastener, such as a screw. The legs 18 and moreparticularly the teeth 20 are adapted to engage the wall materialdelimiting a hole that has been pre-formed, e.g. with a drill, in thewall. When the fastener, e.g. screw, is thereafter rotatably inserted inthe anchoring device D already positioned in the wall's pre-drilledhole, the teeth 20 prevent the anchoring device D from rotating withrespect to the wall. Furthermore, the fastener, as it is inserted in theanchoring device D, forceably spreads the two legs 18 radially outwardly(the legs 18 pivoting relative to their lower ends attached to theremainder of the legs 18) such that the teeth 20 engage the wallmaterial, thereby substantially locking the anchoring device D in placeand thus preventing the same from easily spinning within the holedefined in the wall.

The stem section 12 includes basically three portions, namely a proximalcam or wedge portion 24, an intermediate flexible portion 26 capable oflimited extension and retraction along a longitudinal axis of the stem12, and a pair of opposed distal wings 28 that are angled and biasedtowards a radially expanded position. The flexible portion 26 acts likea substantially strong spring for allowing the anchoring device D toassume various overall lengths and thus adapt itself to hollow walls ofvarious thicknesses.

More particularly, the pair of wings 28 are designed, in the case ofhollow walls, to extend behind the wall and to engage the hidden surfacethereof outwardly of the pre-drilled hole, thereby increasingsignificantly the pull-out force required to remove the anchoring deviceD from the wall. When the anchoring device D is used in a solid wall,the wings 28 remain collapsed within the pre-drilled hole and, in viewof their outward bias, engage the wall material around the pre-drilledhole.

Returning to the flexible portion 26 of the stem section 12, it will beunderstood that for use in hollow walls, it can be designed in variousways. For instance, the flexible portion 26 is like a spring that isbiased towards a retracted position. Typically the spring force isgreater than a friction force between the retracted wings 28 and thewall material defining the pre-drilled hole. Therefore, when theanchoring device D is inserted in the pre-drilled hole, the frictionbetween the wings 28 and the wall material will not cause the flexibleportion 26 to contract, whereby the wings 28 will have reached, by thetime the anchoring device D has been fully inserted in the pre-drilledhole, the space behind the hollow wall.

The wings 28 then, under their bias, expand to their position shown inFIGS. 1 to 3, such as to engage the hidden surface of the hollow wall,or such as to engage this hidden surface upon a slight attempt ofwithdrawing the anchoring device D from the wall, thereby greatlyresisting a further withdrawal thereof from the wall.

With the anchoring device D being securely inserted in the pre-drilledhole, the fastener can then be inserted in the anchoring device D, viathe aperture 22.

The tip section 14 includes a pair of symmetrical tips 30 adapted toexpand, i.e. to spread away from one another, in hollow as well as insolid situations at the final stage of insertion of the fastener(screw). In the case of hollow walls, the spread tips 30 add to thepull-out force required to rip the installed anchoring device D from thewall. In solid walls, the tips 30, when spread outwardly, engage thewall material delimiting the pre-drilled hole thereby further retainingthe anchoring device D in the wall.

In cases where the anchoring device D is used in solid walls, the wedgeportion 24 of the stem section 12 may displace towards the flanged end16 of the head section 10, thereby engaging further within slots 32defined between the legs 18, on both sides of the head section 10. Oncethe wedge portion 24 engages the legs 18, the flared shape of the wedgeportion 24 forces the legs 18 to expand outwardly, which thus wedge intothe solid wall.

Therefore, the anchoring device D of the present invention, which ismounted within a pre-made hole and which is typically made of a plasticsmaterial, can be used in hollow walls and in solid walls. The anchoringdevice D includes various wall-engaging features for firmly anchoring itin various wall constructions, such features including the spreadablelegs 18 and the teeth 20 thereof provided in the head section 10, theexpandable wings 28 of the stem section 12, and the spreadable tips 30of the tip section 14, which wall-engaging features being independentfrom each other and being used singularly or in any combinations thereofembodied in various non-illustrated variants of the anchoring device D.The anchoring device D also comprises an axially spring-like member,namely the flexible portion 26, for allowing the anchoring device D toadapt to various hollow wall thicknesses, specifically so that the wings28 can engage the hidden surfaces of such hollow walls.

FIG. 6 illustrates another anchoring device D′ in accordance with thepresent invention, which is generally similar to the anchoring device Dof FIGS. 1 to 5. However, the anchoring device D′ of FIG. 6 furtherincludes a pair of retainer arms 40′ each extending between a respectivedistal end 42′ of leg 18 of the head section 10 and a proximal end 44′of a wing 28 of the stem section 12. The retainer arms 40′ are in factattached to these distal ends 42′ and proximal ends 44′ therebysignificantly reinforcing the two wings 28, compared to those of theanchoring device D of FIGS. 1 to 5, so as to increase, in solid wallsituations, the tension in the wings 28 and thus frictional forcesbetween the wings 28 and the wall material defining the pre-drilledhole, and to increase the tension and shear in hollow wall situations.

FIGS. 7 a to 7 h illustrate, in a number of sequential views, varioussteps for installing the anchoring device D′ of FIG. 6 in a hollow wallW. In FIG. 7 a, a drill bit B is used to form a hole H in the wall W.FIGS. 7 b to 7 d show the anchoring device D′ being gradually pushedinto the hole H, wherein in FIG. 7 b, the tip 14 is engaged in the holeH; then, in FIG. 7 c, the legs 18 and the retainer arms 40′ are forcedby the wall W to collapse towards one another; and subsequently, as seenin FIG. 7 d, the legs 18 and the retainer arms 40′ return, after havingreached a cavity C behind the hollow wall W and under their bias, totheir expanded position, while the teeth 20 of the racks 19 engage thewall material delimiting the hole H. FIG. 7 d also shows a fastener,herein a screw S, prior to rotatably engaging the anchoring device D′.The engagement of the teeth 20 in the wall W will subsequently oppose arotation of the anchoring device D′ with respect to the wall W when thescrew S is rotatably engaged therein.

FIG. 7 e illustrates the screw S engaged in the head section 10 of theanchoring device D′, via the aperture 22 thereof. The screw S causes theracks 19 to pivotally expand outwardly such that the teeth 20 thereofengage more deeply and thus more strongly the wall material. In FIG. 7 f(in which the anchoring device D′ is shown rotated 90.degree. relativeto its position in FIGS. 7 a to 7 e, 7 g and 7 h), the screw S is fullyinserted in the anchoring device D′ thereby spreading the tips 30 of thetip section 14.

FIG. 7 g is the result of a further rotation of the screw S. Moreparticularly, in FIG. 7 f, the threads of the screw S engaged femalethreads previously defined in the stem section 12′ of the anchoringdevice D′ or tapped such female threads in the stem section 12′. Afterthe screw S has abutted the wall W, a further rotation of the screw Scauses, as the screw S cannot further translationally advance, the stemsection 12′ to translationally withdraw towards the head section 10.This displacement of the stem section 12′ (with the tip section 14following) causes (1) the wings 28 to engage the hidden surface of thewall W (with the retainer arms 40′ deforming) and (2) the wedge portions24 of the stem section 12′ to engage the slots 32 and forceably spreadthe legs 18 outwardly into the wall material.

As seen in FIG. 7 h, a still further rotation of the screw S can causethe stem section 12′ to further withdraw, such that the wings 28 spreadinto a fuller engagement with the wall W, and with the flexible portion26 possibly collapsing (shortening) to allow for the wings 28 to assumetheir shown position.

FIG. 8 illustrates a third anchoring device D″ in accordance with thepresent invention, which includes a proximal section 100 and a distalsection 102. The proximal section 100 comprises a flanged proximal end104 adapted to abut a visible side of the wall (or other structure intowhich the anchoring device D″ is intended to be installed), anintermediate portion 106 that defines openings so as to provideflexibility to the intermediate portion 106 (capable of limitedextension and retraction along a longitudinal axis of the proximalsection 100), and distal portion that includes wedges (four such wedgesbeing provided herein) 108. The proximal section 100 also defines acentral axial aperture 110 adapted to receive therethrough a fastener,such as a screw.

The distal section 102 includes a pair of symmetrical tips 112 adaptedto expand, i.e. to spread away from one another, in hollow as well as insolid situations at the final stage of insertion of the fastener(screw). The distal section 102 further defines, in each tip 112, a slot114, thereby providing four wings 118. In the case of hollow walls, thespread tips 112 add to the pull-out force required to rip the installedanchoring device D″ from the wall. In solid walls, the tips 112, whenspread outwardly, engage the wall material delimiting the pre-drilledhole thereby further retaining the anchoring device D″ in the wall.

When the anchoring device D″ is inserted in the pre-drilled hole, astrong internal cam mechanism will force the distal section 102 to raminto the proximal section 100 of the anchoring device D″, with thewedges 108 displacing the wings 118 outwardly, i.e. from the inside tothe outside, along arrows 116. This expansion of the wings 118 willwedge the anchoring device D″ solidly into the pre-drilled hole in thecase of the solid walls. In hollow wall situations, the wings 118 willexpand behind the wall thereby creating a retention strength to increasethe tension or the shear of the anchoring device D″.

Although the present invention has been described hereinabove by way ofspecific embodiments thereof, it can be modified, without departing fromthe spirit and nature of the subject invention as defined in theappended claims.

1. An anchoring device for insertion in a hole provided in a structure,comprising proximal and distal sections, said proximal sectioncomprising a head defining an aperture for receiving a fastener, saiddistal section comprising at least one expandable wing displaceablebetween inwardly collapsed and outwardly expanded positions, said wingbeing biased towards said expanded position such that said wing isadapted to at least one of engaging structural material delimiting thehole and engaging a distal surface of the structure.
 2. An anchoringdevice as defined in claim 1, wherein said distal section comprises,proximally of said wing, a variable-length portion for allowing saidwing to engage the distal surface of the structure for various structurethicknesses.
 3. An anchoring device as defined in claim 2, wherein saidvariable-length portion comprises a flexible member capable oflongitudinal size reduction.
 4. An anchoring device as defined in claim1, wherein said distal section comprises a pair of said wings which areprovided in substantially diametrically opposed positions
 5. Ananchoring device as defined in claim 1, wherein said wing extends at anangle towards said proximal section.
 6. An anchoring device as definedin claim 5, wherein a connecting member is provided between an outer endof said wing and said proximal section.
 7. An anchoring device asdefined in claim 1, wherein said distal section comprises, distally ofsaid wing, a tip section adapted to spread outwardly when engaged by thefastener.
 8. An anchoring device as defined in claim 7, wherein said tipsection comprises a pair of split tips adapted to spread when thefastener is forced therebetween.
 9. An anchoring device as defined inclaim 1, wherein said proximal section comprises at least one legdefining at least one lateral retention member for engaging thestructural material.
 10. An anchoring device as defined in claim 9,wherein there are provided at least two retention members in the form ofteeth.
 11. An anchoring device as defined in claim 9, wherein there areprovided two said legs separated by a pair of slots.
 12. An anchoringdevice as defined in claim 11, wherein said legs are substantiallydiametrically opposed.
 13. An anchoring device as defined in claim 11,wherein said distal section comprises at a proximal end thereof at leastone wedge portion adapted to engage at least one of said slots when saiddistal section is drawn towards said proximal section, for spreading atleast one of said legs outwardly into the structural material.
 14. Ananchoring device as defined in claim 13, wherein there are provided twosaid wedge portions each being associated with a respective one of saidslots.
 15. An anchoring device as defined in claim 14, wherein each saidleg comprises one said retention member, said retention members beingadapted, when the fastener is engaged in said proximal section, to pivotoutwardly into engagement in the structural material.
 16. An anchoringdevice as defined in claim 17, wherein there are provided two said legsseparated by a pair of slots.
 17. An anchoring device for insertion in ahole provided in a structure, comprising proximal and distal sections,said proximal section comprising a head defining an aperture forreceiving a fastener, said proximal section comprising at least one leg,said distal section comprising a spreading member, said distal andproximal sections being displaceable towards one another such that saidspreading member causes said leg to displace outwardly into engagementwith the structural material delimiting the hole.
 18. An anchoringdevice as defined in claim 16, wherein said legs each comprise aretention member provided with at least one tooth.
 19. An anchoringdevice as defined in claim 16, wherein said legs are substantiallydiametrically opposed.
 20. An anchoring device as defined in claim 16,wherein said spreading member is adapted to engage at least one of saidslots when said distal section is drawn towards said proximal section,for spreading at least one of said legs outwardly into the structuralmaterial.